Latest news with #WorldAquatics
France 24
12 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
Parisians take their first plunge into the Seine in more than a century
It is a historic moment for Paris residents but perhaps a dubious one as well, after several swimmers got sick after competing in the open-water races at the 2024 Paris Olympics – although it is not clear if this was due to the water itself, and the World Aquatics governing body said the Seine met necessary thresholds. A century ago it became illegal to bathe in the waters of the French capital due to severe pollution. In the late 18th and throughout the 19th century, human waste was used for fertiliser. But as alternative fertilisers became more common, sewage was increasingly fed directly into the Seine, making it unfit for bathing. For many Parisians, their ideas of the Seine are less than romantic: with its fast-paced murky water, floating trash and the occasional 2-metre-long catfish, it's a river full of surprises. But their presence might actually be a sign that the Seine is getting cleaner, according to Paris town hall. Due to purification efforts over the past 40 years, 34 species of fish now swim in Parisian waters – as opposed to just two when these efforts began. As of today, one more species joins them: humans. Three official bathing spots are now open, one at Bras Marie near Île Saint-Louis in the 4th arrondissement (district), another at quai de Bercy in the 12th and one at Grenelle in the 15th. Swimming within sight of the Eiffel Tower At the Grenelle pool, which lies in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, a long line of curious – and some might say, courageous – swimmers queued up, ready to test the waters. Aglaé Janel, 33, a mother of two, said she felt confident letting her children swim in the Seine. 'We're not going to let the children drink the water, we'll keep an eye on them, but we trust it,' she said. This site has a safety pool for families with children that is only 40 to 60 cm deep and has a lounging area for sunbathing. The venue can hold up to 200 people at once, including some 150 in the 60x20-metre bathing area, and is accessible to those with limited mobility. Some, however, remain skeptical. Retired physical education teacher Isabelle Langlois, 67, came for opening day, but she expressed mixed feelings about the Seine's cleanliness. 'I trust the city of Paris for the tests and everything,' she said. 'And I tell myself that even if there's a little bit of pollution, we can still try to swim.' But she also pointed out what she regularly sees from her bike rides along the river. 'There are a lot of water bottles, a lot of things still floating in the Seine. Much less than before the Olympic Games, but still a lot of waste – maybe blown in or thrown by people.' But some of the skepticism seemed to cool off as swimmers got in the water. 'We were super nervous about it at first. I said I wasn't going to get in the water, but it's actually really nice, and it feels clean. There's some little bits of debris, but ... it's been really cool, actually,' said Kathryn Boccuzzi, an American expat who has lived in the Paris area for many years. "We'll probably come back and do it again." People were jumping off the main platform, kids splashed excitedly in the shallow pool, but it seemed to be the adults – long-time Parisians dreaming of this moment – who were most moved by the experience. The swimming pool is integrated with the river's natural environment, fed by water directly from the Seine. It is separated from the river itself by buoys marking swimming areas and accessed via floating pontoon decks. An Industrial dip At the Bercy site, many were surprised by the cleanliness of the water – especially given the surrounding high-rises and industrial setting. 'When I saw all the industry and thought about the pollution, I was sceptical,' said Morad Aref, a Canadian student. 'But when I got in the water, it was great. The temperature is perfect. I live in Ireland, and the beaches there are freezing, but here it's so nice.' Students lounging in one of Bercy's two swimming zones were also impressed. American student Jacob Nelson said he felt safe thanks to the constant monitoring and water conditions posted at the entrance. 'It felt just like a lake,' he said. 'I mean, there's bits and bobs floating around, but it's just plant matter – you're not freaking out. And every now and then, you'll see a fish swim by. I mean, if there are fish in the water, it can't be that bad.' Massive retention basins capture and store rainwater and sewage overflow during storms to prevent spills into the Seine. Swimming sites and weather conditions are monitored daily. People from all over the world will be able to have a dip in the iconic Seine until August 31. Paris's town hall has determined that winter swimming will not be possible due to higher precipitation and stronger river currents. Some bathers are hoping that the start of swimming in the Seine will be a game changer, given that European summers are expected to become even hotter and dryer in the future. 'It feels like we're living through a historic moment, one that will change Paris in the summers to come, given climate change,' said student Mathis Beautrais, 21.
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Canada's Penny Oleksiak withdraws from worlds over whereabouts issue
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Canada's Penny Oleksiak will not be competing at the upcoming World Championships in Singapore. TORONTO – Penny Oleksiak, Canada's most decorated female Olympian, has pulled out of the upcoming swimming World Championships in Singapore because of a probe into an alleged breach of the anti-doping code under the whereabouts rule. Elite athletes are obliged to keep doping authorities informed of their whereabouts at all times so random testing can take place. Former Olympic 100 metres freestyle champion Oleksiak announced her withdrawal from the world championships on social media on July 4, stressing that the issue did not involve any banned substances. "I wanted to confirm I am involved in a whereabouts case with World Aquatics that's still in the preliminary stages," she wrote in a statement. "I want to emphasise that this whereabouts case does not involve any banned substance; it's about whether I updated my information correctly. "Out of respect for Swimming Canada, my fellow racers and clean sport, I have decided not to compete at the world championships. I am and always have been a clean athlete and will be making no further comment at this time." There was no immediate response to a request for comment from World Aquatics. Swimming Canada also released a statement supporting Oleksiak's move, saying they believed she was a clean athlete who had made an "administrative mistake". "We understand that Penny has been notified that she did not keep her whereabouts information fully up-to-date," said Swimming Canada chief executive Suzanne Paulins. "She has explained to us that it was inadvertent and that in no way is she involved in the use of banned substances. "This is a team-first decision, as while she has not been sanctioned at this time, participating at world championships could potentially affect team results if an anti-doping rule violation is determined." As well as taking the blue riband sprint gold at Rio as a 16-year-old in 2016, Oleksiak has won six other Olympic medals and nine at three World Championships. The 2025 championships take place in Singapore from July 27 to Aug 3. In other swimming news, the River Seine reopened to swimmers on July 5 in Paris, allowing people to take a dip in the French capital's iconic waterway for the first time since 1923. Parisians and visitors looking to cool off this summer can dive in – weather permitting – at three bathing sites, including one a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower. The seasonal opening of the Seine for swimming is seen as a key legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympics, when open water swimmers and triathletes competed in its waters which were specially cleaned for the event. REUTERS, AFP
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Canada's Oleksiak withdraws from worlds over whereabouts issue
PENNY Oleksiak, Canada's most decorated female Olympian, has pulled out of the upcoming swimming World Championships because of a probe into an alleged breach of the anti-doping code under the whereabouts rule. Elite athletes are obliged to keep doping authorities informed of their whereabouts at all times so random testing can take place. Former Olympic 100 metres freestyle champion Oleksiak announced her withdrawal from the world championships on social media on Friday, stressing that the issue did not involve any banned substances. 'I wanted to confirm I am involved in a whereabouts case with World Aquatics that's still in the preliminary stages,' she wrote in a statement. 'I want to emphasise that this whereabouts case does not involve any banned substance; it's about whether I updated my information correctly. 'Out of respect for Swimming Canada, my fellow racers and clean sport, I have decided not to compete at the world championships. 'I am and always have been a clean athlete and will be making no further comment at this time.' There was no immediate response to a request for comment from World Aquatics. Swimming Canada also released a statement supporting Oleksiak's move, saying they believed she was a clean athlete who had made an 'administrative mistake'. 'We understand that Penny has been notified that she did not keep her whereabouts information fully up-to-date,' said Swimming Canada Chief Executive Suzanne Paulins. 'She has explained to us that it was inadvertent and that in no way is she involved in the use of banned substances. 'This is a team-first decision, as while she has not been sanctioned at this time, participating at world championships could potentially affect team results if an anti-doping rule violation is determined.' As well as taking the blue riband sprint gold at Rio as a 16-year-old in 2016, Oleksiak has won six other Olympic medals and nine at three World Championships. The 2025 championships take place in Singapore from July 27 to August 3.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Swimming-Canada's Oleksiak withdraws from worlds over whereabouts issue
TORONTO (Reuters) -Penny Oleksiak, Canada's most decorated female Olympian, has pulled out of the upcoming swimming World Championships because of a probe into an alleged breach of the anti-doping code under the whereabouts rule. Elite athletes are obliged to keep doping authorities informed of their whereabouts at all times so random testing can take place. Former Olympic 100 metres freestyle champion Oleksiak announced her withdrawal from the world championships on social media on Friday, stressing that the issue did not involve any banned substances. "I wanted to confirm I am involved in a whereabouts case with World Aquatics that's still in the preliminary stages," she wrote in a statement. "I want to emphasise that this whereabouts case does not involve any banned substance; it's about whether I updated my information correctly. "Out of respect for Swimming Canada, my fellow racers and clean sport, I have decided not to compete at the world championships. "I am and always have been a clean athlete and will be making no further comment at this time." There was no immediate response to a request for comment from World Aquatics. Swimming Canada also released a statement supporting Oleksiak's move, saying they believed she was a clean athlete who had made an "administrative mistake". "We understand that Penny has been notified that she did not keep her whereabouts information fully up-to-date," said Swimming Canada Chief Executive Suzanne Paulins. "She has explained to us that it was inadvertent and that in no way is she involved in the use of banned substances. "This is a team-first decision, as while she has not been sanctioned at this time, participating at world championships could potentially affect team results if an anti-doping rule violation is determined." As well as taking the blue riband sprint gold at Rio as a 16-year-old in 2016, Oleksiak has won six other Olympic medals and nine at three World Championships. The 2025 championships take place in Singapore from July 27 to August 3.
Reuters
a day ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Canada's Oleksiak withdraws from worlds over whereabouts issue
TORONTO, July 4 (Reuters) - Penny Oleksiak, Canada's most decorated female Olympian, has pulled out of the upcoming swimming World Championships because of a probe into an alleged breach of the anti-doping code under the whereabouts rule. Elite athletes are obliged to keep doping authorities informed of their whereabouts at all times so random testing can take place. Former Olympic 100 metres freestyle champion Oleksiak announced her withdrawal from the world championships on social media on Friday, stressing that the issue did not involve any banned substances. "I wanted to confirm I am involved in a whereabouts case with World Aquatics that's still in the preliminary stages," she wrote in a statement. "I want to emphasise that this whereabouts case does not involve any banned substance; it's about whether I updated my information correctly. "Out of respect for Swimming Canada, my fellow racers and clean sport, I have decided not to compete at the world championships. "I am and always have been a clean athlete and will be making no further comment at this time." There was no immediate response to a request for comment from World Aquatics. Swimming Canada also released a statement supporting Oleksiak's move, saying they believed she was a clean athlete who had made an "administrative mistake". "We understand that Penny has been notified that she did not keep her whereabouts information fully up-to-date," said Swimming Canada Chief Executive Suzanne Paulins. "She has explained to us that it was inadvertent and that in no way is she involved in the use of banned substances. "This is a team-first decision, as while she has not been sanctioned at this time, participating at world championships could potentially affect team results if an anti-doping rule violation is determined." As well as taking the blue riband sprint gold at Rio as a 16-year-old in 2016, Oleksiak has won six other Olympic medals and nine at three World Championships. The 2025 championships take place in Singapore from July 27 to August 3.
